Norris celebrates his victory at Silverstone, central England, on 6/7/2025. Photo: AFP

Norris celebrates his victory at Silverstone, central England, on 6/7/2025. Photo: AFP

Persistent morning showers at Silverstone made for a slippery track, despite the afternoon sun, as the British Grand Prix began. The race started with drivers on intermediate tires. Rain was forecast, but some drivers, including Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) and both Mercedes drivers, gambled on slicks just before the warm-up lap ended. This risky strategy backfired, dropping them to the back of the grid.

Max Verstappen, who snatched pole position from the McLaren duo in Saturday's qualifying session, maintained his lead despite an early challenge from Oscar Piastri at the start. However, the Dutch driver couldn't shake off the McLarens in the initial laps.

Gabriel Bortoleto's (Sauber) accident at turn two on lap 4 brought out a virtual safety car, easing the pressure on Verstappen. But when racing resumed on lap 7, Piastri quickly overtook Verstappen's RB21 on the Hangar Straight, taking the lead and building a nearly 3-second gap.

As predicted, heavy rain soon arrived. Verstappen lost control at Becketts on lap 11, allowing Norris to pass. Both drivers pitted for wet tires, but a slight delay in Norris's pit stop allowed Verstappen to reclaim second place.

The changing conditions and downpour benefited several drivers further down the field. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), capitalizing on the drying track by switching to slicks, climbed to 4th. Hulkenberg also rose to 5th, having switched to intermediates on lap 9, gaining an advantage as rivals slowed on the slick surface with their older tires.

With the intensifying rain, the safety car was deployed on lap 14, but the rain subsided. The race restarted on lap 18, only to be interrupted again by a second safety car following a collision between rookies Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) and Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) at Copse corner.

The restart on lap 22 brought a series of incidents that dramatically altered the race, handing Norris the opportunity for victory. Piastri's sudden braking as the safety car pulled in forced Verstappen to swerve to avoid contact. Piastri received a 10-second penalty for "unnecessary braking or any maneuver that could endanger other drivers from the moment the safety car lights go out".

Norris's car at Silverstone. Photo: AFP

Norris's car at Silverstone. Photo: AFP

Verstappen then spun on the still-damp track, dropping to 11th as the pack accelerated into Stowe. He could only recover to 5th by the finish, as the track dried. This result, combined with another McLaren one-two finish, further hampered Verstappen's title defense, leaving him 69 points behind Piastri.

Despite retaining the championship lead, Piastri was unhappy about being overtaken by his teammate Norris for the second consecutive race. Aware of his penalty, he pushed hard but couldn't build a sufficient gap. After serving his penalty during his pit stop on lap 43, he was only about two seconds ahead of Norris. Returning to the track, the 6-second gap proved insurmountable in the remaining 9 laps. With only an 8-point lead over Norris, Piastri is starting to feel the pressure from his teammate.

Finishing right behind the McLarens, veteran Hulkenberg achieved his first F1 podium in 239 races. It was also Sauber's first top-three finish in almost 13 years, since Kamui Kobayashi's third place at the 2012 Japanese Grand Prix. Hulkenberg's performance, starting from second to last, earned him the Driver of the Day award.

"Starting near the back, I was kind of a bit clueless about how things would play out," Hulkenberg said. "We made the right calls. I couldn't really believe it until the last pit stop. When I pulled away from Lewis, I thought, 'Alright.' I knew he would give it everything in front of his home crowd, but I thought, 'Sorry guys, today is my day. I have to make this work.'"

British Grand Prix Results

Driver Standings after 12 Races

Constructor Standings after 12 Races

Minh Phuong